The seat of Moore County, Dumas is located north of Amarillo where US 87 and US 287 cross, on the edge of Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.
In the Texas Panhandle, Dumas is in the heart of one of the state's leading grain sorghum producing areas. Moore County also produces large quantities of natural gas, as well as two-thirds of the nation's helium. Several feedlots, grain elevators, beef packers, and fertilizer plants, as well as a tannery, attest to the leadership in agribusiness.
The major annual event, Dogie Days, occurs during the second weekend in June.
Dumas was made famous by the hit song "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas," recorded by Phil Harris in the 1940s. The song was written by Phil Baxter of Navarro County after he had visited Dumas on his way to Denver. In 1982 Dumas was the home of the Arturo Toscanini Society, a national group dedicated to preserving the conductor's memory.
In 1990 the population was 12,871.